Senate panel raises alarm over drug prices

Senate panel raises alarm over drug prices

A Senate panel on Tuesday called for stricter oversight of drug pricing and a standardised, internationally aligned medical admission system, warning that unchecked costs and flawed criteria are driving students abroad and draining nearly $800 million in foreign exchange annually. The meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination, chaired by Senator Amir Waliuddin Chishti, took up rising pharm…

Senate flags $800m outflow as students go abroad for medical studies

Islamabad: A Senate panel has exposed a deepening crisis in Pakistan’s health and medical education sector, warning that the country is losing around $800 million annually as students flee abroad for medical studies, while foreign qualified graduates largely fail to meet local standards and drug prices continue to surge unchecked. The Senate Standing Committee on National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination raised serious concerns over…